"I'm completely off base here on what this child is capable of": A qualitative analysis of how medical ableism manifests in PICU clinicians' care of children with severe neurological impairment.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Children with severe neurological impairment (SNI) are at heightened risk of experiencing medical ableism from clinicians in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), where barriers such as time scarcity and heavy workloads limit clinicians' ability to provide personalized care.

Objective

To examine medical ableism and strategies to support PICU clinicians in understanding the lives of children with SNI and their families.

Methods

This US-based, single-center, qualitative study included PICU clinicians identified by the parents/caregivers of a child with SNI. Semi-structured 1:1 60-min interviews about the challenges of caring for children with SNI were conducted virtually. Coded data were extracted, thematically analyzed, and further conceptualized using t

SUBMITTER: Oslin E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11625601 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature